Investigations

Deep-dive data journalism about federal lobbying. We follow the money from K Street to Capitol Hill and tell the stories the numbers reveal.

DOGE vs. The Lobbying Machine

Billions spent lobbying to keep government programs alive. What happens when DOGE comes for the agencies that lobbyists depend on?

Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Qualcomm have spent $150M+ lobbying on AI, antitrust, privacy, and trade.

The pharmaceutical and healthcare industry has spent $452 million lobbying Congress. Here are the companies and the money.

5,000 former government officials — from White House advisors to congressional chiefs of staff — now lobby their old colleagues.

1,000+ foreign entities from 50+ countries lobby the US government. The UK leads with 474 filings. China has 165.

Companies that lobby get billions in government contracts. McKesson spent $1.45M and got $11.8B back. We calculated the ROI.

Defense contractors spend millions lobbying for contracts worth billions. The numbers.

The fastest-growing lobbying sector in DC. How crypto went from zero to a political force.

Meta spent $26M in 2024 alone. The AI regulation fight is the biggest lobbying battle of the decade.

As tariffs return, lobbying on trade surges. Which industries are most desperate to be exempt?

The definitive stats page — total spending, top clients, biggest issues, yearly trends.

How lobbying works, who does it, and why it matters. Your plain-language explainer.